Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaybalay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $756 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$756

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaybalay and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malaybalay and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Malaybalay versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Malaybalay $756
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,182 in Malaybalay versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Malaybalay $1,182
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,607 in Malaybalay versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Malaybalay $1,607
Nosara $3,818

Living in Malaybalay costs roughly 59% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malaybalay is 44% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.89 ₱308

$12.35 ₡5,539

-60.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.45 ₱1,035

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-73.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.51 ₱221

$7.52 ₡3,373

-53.32%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.57%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.14

$1.74 ₡780

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.93

$1.31 ₡587

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

-65.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$4.47 ₡2,004

-57.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.56 ₡701

29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱55.2

$2.51 ₡1,125

-64.94%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱118

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$7.43 ₡3,333

-13.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ₱307

$10.52 ₡4,717

-53.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 ₱570

$13.97 ₡6,265

-35.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 ₱175

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.61 ₡720

-33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ₱150

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.8

$1.61 ₡724

-29.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 ₱123

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₱213

$3.69 ₡1,657

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₱75.3

$1.13 ₡507

6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱41.82

$2.66 ₡1,191

-75.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 ₱156

$5.18 ₡2,321

-52.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 ₱489

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₱102

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.60

$1.12 ₡504

-80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.70 ₱674

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-85.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.9

$2.14 ₡958

-60.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.40

$1.57 ₡703

-85.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱119

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.2

$1.52 ₡682

-16.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-45.02%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$109 ₱6,856

$96.3 ₡43.2K

13.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.33 ₱1,217

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-46.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 ₱1,962

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.01 ₱1,890

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.18 ₱263

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-88.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ₱306

$7.89 ₡3,539

-38.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$106 ₱6,689

$494 ₡221.6K

-78.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,589 ₱477.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.02 ₱2,079

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.31 ₱1,216

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-65.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ₱4,451

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,821

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₱17.5K

$788 ₡353.4K

-64.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₱27.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-88.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 ₱25.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-71.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,200 ₱138.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-68.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ₱63.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-17.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

8.62

-3.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Malaybalay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Malaybalay

$199 26.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 76.7% $153

Accommodation & Living

Malaybalay

$173 22.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 360% $622

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaybalay

$159 21.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 16.5% $26

Eating Out

Malaybalay

$89 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 139% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Malaybalay

$83 10.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 45.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Malaybalay

$40 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 120% $48

Getting Around

Malaybalay

$14 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 543% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $279 in Malaybalay and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Malaybalay vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $352 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

14 h behind Malaybalay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,712

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaybalay Nosara 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Malaybalay
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Malaybalay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malaybalay and Nosara differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($756 vs $1,839 including rent). Malaybalay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,134 in Malaybalay and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $279 in Malaybalay versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malaybalay – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Malaybalay versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malaybalay but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Malaybalay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Malaybalay and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Malaybalay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.